Franklin University Holds Fourth Annual Hackathon

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University is proud to kick-off the 2019 CBusStudentHack Coding for Community – a 10-week programming contest for central Ohio area high school students. An annual event for the University, this year’s contest will concentrate on creating apps focused on ENERGY: Powering Our Future with Coding! Teams will be judged on software quality, community impact, execution, and creativity.

The annual CBusStudentHack seeks to provide Columbus area high school students 21st century skills via computer science education, prepare the students for college and career readiness, solve real world problems and open the doors of opportunity and creativity.

Forty-nine teams of 2 to 4 students from 27 schools will participate in this year’s competition from the following central Ohio high schools: Marburn Academy, Grove City High School, ALC - Central Crossing Group, Horizon Science Academy Columbus High School, Upper Arlington High School, Worthington Kilbourne High School, Westland High School, Dublin Scioto, Dublin Coffman, Dublin Jerome, Gahanna Lincoln High School, Mechanicsburg High School, Circleville High School, Whitehall Yearling High school, Franklin Heights High School, Graham High School (Ohio Hi-Point Satellite), Reynoldsburg (HS)2 STEM Academy, Worthington Christian School, The Wellington School, Columbus Downtown High School, Metro Institute of Technology (MIT), and Teays Valley High School.

STEM programs such as Computer and Information Sciences are driving innovations that affect how we work, play, and interact with others. Despite the growing demand for a qualified next generation of tech talent, technology-focused education remains a side interest in our schools. By joining with industry and government partners such as Battelle, IGS Energy, Creek Technologies, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Cardinal Health and Optiv to host this year’s CBusStudentHack, we not only help prepare high school students for college and careers, we enable them to more effectively and diplomatically communicate to help address business and societal issues. 

This year’s kickoff event will be held on Friday, Jan. 18 at the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) Main Library.  The kick-off meeting will allow teams to brainstorm project ideas, hear from technology leaders and learn from local coding experts.

Through the remainder of the 10-week period, the student teams will use coding software to develop their own app. The apps must be focused on creating apps focused on Energy and powering the future with coding. The students’ work will be judged on software quality, the potential impact on energy, execution and creativity. A team of central Ohio area leaders will judge the students’ work, and winners will be announced at a finale event on March 22.

Winning student teams will be awarded the following prizes:
•           Grand Prize: $2,500
•           2nd Place:  $1,500
•           3rd Place:  $1,000

Other raffles and prizes, including a Rookie of the Year award will be available to the students.
To learn more please visit the CBusStudentHack website at http://cbusstudenthack.org/ and to join the conversation on social media, please use the hashtag #CBusStudentHack.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).